CHAMBER NEWS A publication of the Waconia Chamber of Commerce

December, 2014

Inside this issue:

Page 1 Member news &

events

Page 2 Message from Kellie

Page 3 Minnesota Chamber news

Page 4 Ambassador Visits

Page 5 Member Updates & Happenings

Page 6 Luncheon News & Calendar

ICE ICE BABY

Ice fishing on Lake Waconia

is HERE!

For the latest update on the

ice, check in with the

InTowne Marina before you

head out on the ice...

952-442-2096

InTowneMarina.com

Look for specials at these participating businesses:

AmericInn • Clearwater Clothing • Curly Willow • Everson’s

Hardware • Ground Round • Mackenthun’s Fine Foods

Mocha Monkey • My Happy Place • Salon Trende’ • The Stash

Trending Upward Thrift Shoppe • UFC Farm Supply • Unearthed

Arts • Weinzierl Jewelry • Wild Bird Store • Yetzer’s Furnishings

Highway 5 Open House

Tuesday, December 9

4:00-7:00pm

Waconia City Hall 201 S Vine Street

Come hear and ask questions about the proposed schedule of construction, landscape elements of the project, temporary signage, and

road detours and closures.

Know the facts!

SAVE THE DATE! Saturday, March 28, 2014

Business Home & Family Fair!

If you have ideas for this event,

join us at the Chamber for our

planning meeting: Tuesday, December 16 2:30pm

2

More More More By Kellie Sites, President

Photo by Taylor Hubbard Photography

It’s what I’m thinking about in this season of shopping!

MORE NAME TAGS: Am I alone in wanting to know the name of the person helping me? My experience is so much better when I can put a name with a face. I think it holds employees more accountable to provide excellent customer service too. It’s easier to establish a relationship with your store when I know the “family members” working there. Investing in name tags or embroidered shirts also says to your employees: we trust you and believe in you enough to make it permanent enough for a name tag. That means something to me, the customer too. There are SO many name tags to choose from - and we have Chamber members that sell them.

MORE SMILES: It’s so hard for me to be glad about being in your establishment when I don’t see many smiles. When someone smiles at me, I melt a little. It opens up the space between two people, allowing for conversation. There’s less fear. I will never understand managing by creating fear… but that’s not what I’m talking about today. Back to smiles…. Try smiling more. Is the environment you are working in or creating for your customers a friendly one. I’m pretty sure I’ve written about smiling before. This was a topic of a speech I gave in college. The dynamics of smiling are pretty amazing—how it can change your mood and the mood of those around you. Try not to be a Grinch…

MORE SHOPS: This is something I hear a lot. In a meeting yesterday a few shop owners and I talked about the fact that shoppers wish we had a few more shops… how do we bring more shops here? What shops do you wish we had? This is my list: Book Shop, Pet Shop, Shoe Shop, Wine & Cheese Shop, Stationery Shop, Bakery, Kitchen Shop, Yarn Shop, Scandinavian Shop, Music Shop….. Do you know anyone who has a shop like any of those? Maybe they are looking for a new town to settle in? Maybe they want to open an addi-tional location? Let’s make it happen! There is space and the more shops we have, the better all of our shops will do… it’s true.

More More More…. For now, make sure you take the initiative and time to Shop Waconia First. Our shop owners are working hard to bring you just what you need. Try a new restaurant! Have you ever been to Terra Waconia? Our very own Farm to Table restaurant on Main Street… still open! You won’t be dis-appointed. People say we need more places to eat… when I ask if they’ve been everywhere in Waconia? Well, no.

Here are some places to check out in Waconia for a meal! D’Vinci’s, Egg-Cetera Café, Golden Dragon, Ground Round Bar & Grill, Hopper’s Bar & Grill, Island View Dining, Lola’s Lakehouse, McDonald’s, Mo-cha Monkey, Pangea Café, Rey Azteca, Sovereign Estate Wine, Subway, Terra Waconia, The Saloon - Waco-nia, Unhinged Pizza (opening soon in their new location at Waconia Marketplace), Waconia Lanes & Pub and Who’s on First. These are all the Chamber member restaurants and I hope you’ve been to every place at least twice! Enjoy the holidays and I hope to see everyone at our Chamber holiday party on December 11th!

3

By Bill Blazer

‘Green’ the plant, and your bottom lines

More companies are becoming environmentally sustainable, generating profits while also pro-

tecting the natural environment. Why? Business owners and managers are realizing the prac-

tices that “green” the planet also add “green” to the bottom lines.

That’s the premise of Minnesota Waste Wise, which just celebrated its 20th anniversary. Waste Wise traces

its roots to 1994 when business leaders, at the direction of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, decided

to take the growing waste issue into their own hands.

Waste Wise has evolved and expanded into full-service consultation for a variety of environmental sustain-

ability measures. If you’re paying too much for waste disposal or are having trouble finding an outlet for a

waste material, Waste Wise can help. If you’re looking to re-energize your recycling program or want to

green your organization’s supply chain, we’ll get you started. We can also take a look at your energy bills

and identify opportunities for reducing operational costs through energy efficiency.

In all of our work, the guiding philosophy remains: Less waste is smart business for a better environment.

Waste Wise successes speak for themselves. Witness these results for our 2013-14 program year:

• 3,399 direct services provided to more than 962 businesses in 168 Minnesota cities.

• 646 onsite sustainability and energy consultations.

1,704,221 estimated Year 1 pounds of waste diverted.

At their core, successful sustainability programs benefit growth, return on capital and risk management –

including regulatory, reputational and operational risk management. According to McKinsey & Company’s

July 2014 Report on Sustainability and Resource Productivity, “a growing body of evidence indicates that

sustainability initiatives can help to create profits and business opportunities.” The report notes that “in the

last three years, socially responsible investment has increased 22 percent; it now accounts for 11 percent of

all assets under management in the United States.

So where should an organization focus its efforts? An excellent starting point is an on-site assessment con-

ducted by environmental sustainability experts. Our Waste Wise staff is only a phone call away. The data

and recommendations generated help leaders prioritize plans and allocate resources based on what’s best

for their business – whether that’s installing efficient lighting, reducing water use, upgrading equipment or

expanding recycling.

Becoming an environmentally sustainable organization is more practical and profit-driven than some may

realize. Much of the work lies in simply being less wasteful and controlling the supply chain. The rest de-

pends on a strategic plan with a clear vision created, communicated, implemented and championed by sen-

ior management.

A sustainable business is a business that lasts, and now is a great time to set a course. Our Waste Wise and

Energy Smart staffs are ready to help your organization implement a strategic and enduring environmen-

tally sustainability plan. Contact Jill Curran today at 651.292.4653 or jcurran@mnchamber.com.

Bill Blazar is interim president of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce: www.mnchamber.com.

4

Ambassador Visits

OMS Specialists

Contact: Jessica Peterka

jpeterka@omsspecialists.com

490 Maple Street Suite 102 Waconia

Local Toy Drive Deadline 12/8

Bring collected toys and or cash/donations

to City Hall by Monday, 12/8.

If you need a flyer to post with details on use of this program,

contact Cary Rust with Women of Waconia at 952-769-7268 women_of_waconia@yahoo.com

Still looking for volunteers to help with distribution on Dec 12!

(Especially if you can speak Spanish!)

The Ambassadors present Administrator Steve Hilpipre ,

Dr Diehl and Jessica Peterka with their First Dollar of

Profit. Welcome to the Chamber ! Ambassadors from left

to right: Joyce Willems, Darla Holmgren, Terri Dammann,

Jeff Schulz, Jan Held -Board Chair and Gerry Kirby.

To be an Ambassador....you must possess the following: • A curious nature and available 2 hours every month, on the 3rd Thursday

♦ The desire to do more business and the ability to refer a new business

♦ Does that describe you? Give us a call! We need more Ambassadors!

Thanks so much to our current Ambassadors: Gerry Kirby Gk2 Promotions; Darla Holmgren KleinBank,

Joyce Willems Peterson & Company; Cathy Nielsen CD Products;

Wendy Petersen-Biorn Carver County Historical Society;

Terri Dammann Waconia Patriot; Jeff Schulz The Jeff Schulz Team RE/MAX Advantage

Plus; Kody TeSlaa Unhinged Pizza; Amanda Schaust UFC Farm Supply;

Dr. Leah Soltis Soltis Chiropractic; Jenny Hissam Westview Acres;

Derek Harris Harris & Associates; Gary Fritz Security Bank and

Marta Beckett Marta Beckett Homes

OMS Specialists has five locations: Waconia, Blaine, New Brighton, Maple Grove and Cambridge. We are so fortunate to have this level of expertise in Waconia.

As oral and maxillofacial surgeons, their doctors man-age a wide variety of problems relating to the mouth, teeth and facial regions. They practice a full scope of oral and maxillofacial surgery with expertise ranging from dental implant surgery and wisdom tooth removal to corrective jaw surgery.

5

Member News & Happenings

Holiday Open Skate-Sunday, December 7 Noon-1:30

Help Waconia Park & Rec put presents under the tree for local families in need at the annual Holiday Skate! Bring a new unwrapped gift or children’s toy to be donated to the Waconia Toy Drive & receive a FREE youth skate admission with every toy donated (max. 3 free admissions/family). $2.50 skate rentals (free if you bring your own skates!) $3.50 Entrance fee for Adults, $2.50 Entrance fee for Youth/Seniors (without donation)

Winter Wassail Weekend-December 20-21 Noon-6pm

Get your tickets for Waconia Wine Country’s Winter Wassail Weekend! Your ticket gets you 3 sample size pours at each location and a souvenir glass from each winery. Select from WINE (2 oz.), BEER (4oz.) CIDER (4oz.) or WASSAIL (2oz.). Get your ticket stamped at all three wineries for a chance to win 2 FREE TICKETS to the 2015 Waconia Wine Country’s Progressive Dinner.

Plan your individual tour: you can visit each winery at your leisure between noon and 6pm on either day. Each winery has lots of fun activities planned for you to enjoy.

Tour Tickets: $35 purchase at any of the wineries’ websites: www.schramvineyards.com, www.parleylakewinery.com or www.sovereignestatewine.com. A portion of your ticket will be donated to the Minnesota Military Family Fund.

Christmas Cantata-Sunday, December 21 10:00-11:00am

Come experience “Night of the Father’s Love”, an inspirational musical celebration of the birth of Christ written by Pepper Chopin and presented by the Waconia Moravian Church Choir and friends. The cantata will be included as part of their regular Sunday worship service and all are welcome.

Longest Night Service-Sunday, December 21 7:00pm

Christmas is a highly anticipated event, a most wonderful time of the year. But for some, Christmas time can be painful. It may be the first Christmas without a beloved family member or friend; it may be a time that has always been difficult. Space and time is needed to acknowledge our sadness and concern; we need to know that we are not alone. The Moravian Church invites you to join them in sharing and hearing prayers, scripture, and music that acknowledge that God’s presence is for those who mourn, for those who struggle - and that God’s Word comes to shine light into our darkness. Everyone, regardless of church background (or lack of it) is welcome.

Waconia Moravian Church-209 East 2nd Street, Waconia www.waconiamoravian.org

Santa Sightings in Waconia...

UFC Farm Supply-Saturday, 12/6 10am-1pm Have your picture taken with Santa & his reindeer.

(Leashed pets welcome.) Bring your own camera. Complimentary refreshments served.

UFC Farm Supply-801 S Highway 284, Waconia

Mackenthun’s-Visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

Saturday, 12/6 10:00am-2:00pm, Thursday, 12/11 3:00-6:30pm, Saturday, 12/13 10:00am-2:00pm,

Sunday, 12/14 10:00am-2:00pm, Thursday, 12/18 3:00-7:00pm, Saturday, 12/20 10:00am-2:00pm

Bring your camera for this festive photo opportunity! Mackenthun’s-851 Market Place Drive

Waconia Bucks are a GREAT gift ANYTIME! Valid at any Chamber member business. (It’s a Chamber member benefit!)

Available for purchase during the holidays at the Chamber office (209 S Vine Street) or Waco-

nia Patriot office (8 S Elm St).

We sell a LOT of these during the holiday season. (A local business recently ordered over 400

to give to their employees as holiday gifts.) By selling these certificates (they work just like a

check/cash) that are only redeemable at Chamber Member Businesses, we are encouraging the

community to shop local and patron Chamber Member Businesses!

Chamber Calendar -December 2014 Saturdays in December: Homespun Holidays in Waconia-Shopping & Special Events all over town

4 Coffee Connection at the Lighthouse at Waconia (500 Cherry Street) 7:30 - 9am

Linked In Class - the Lighthouse at Waconia (third floor) 9:00-10:00am Register at 952-442-5812

9 Tourism Committee Meeting 9 - 10am AmericInn of Waconia Tourism Board 10 -11am follows

10 Board of Directors Meeting 11:45-1:00pm in Oak Conference Room

11 Retail Committee Meeting 8:00-9:30am in Oak Conference Room

Annual Chamber Holiday party at Schram Vineyards catered by Pangea Café (L & L Catering)

5:00-8:00pm RSVP to Chamber by FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5!!

(Please note: After hours event replaces December Luncheon)

18 Ambassadors Meeting 8:45am in Chamber Office

Holiday Hours: The Chamber office will be closed December 24 & 25 and noon on Dec 31-Jan1

Waconia Chamber of Commerce

Holiday SocialHoliday SocialHoliday SocialHoliday SocialHoliday SocialHoliday SocialHoliday SocialHoliday Social Thursday, December 11, 2014Thursday, December 11, 2014Thursday, December 11, 2014Thursday, December 11, 2014

5:005:005:005:00----8:00pm8:00pm8:00pm8:00pm

Schram VineyardsSchram VineyardsSchram VineyardsSchram Vineyards----Winery & BreweryWinery & BreweryWinery & BreweryWinery & Brewery 8785 Airport Road • Waconia

Catered by Pangea Café Pangea Café Pangea Café Pangea Café as L & L Catering

Celebrate the Holidays with your fellow Celebrate the Holidays with your fellow Celebrate the Holidays with your fellow Celebrate the Holidays with your fellow

Chamber members. Enjoy heavy hors d’ oeuvres and Chamber members. Enjoy heavy hors d’ oeuvres and Chamber members. Enjoy heavy hors d’ oeuvres and Chamber members. Enjoy heavy hors d’ oeuvres and

a complimentary glass of wine or beer in a festive a complimentary glass of wine or beer in a festive a complimentary glass of wine or beer in a festive a complimentary glass of wine or beer in a festive

atmosphere!atmosphere!atmosphere!atmosphere!

Great Food • Great Beverages • Great People! Great Food • Great Beverages • Great People! Great Food • Great Beverages • Great People! Great Food • Great Beverages • Great People!

Event Cost: $25.00 per personEvent Cost: $25.00 per personEvent Cost: $25.00 per personEvent Cost: $25.00 per person

Includes wine/beer/non-alcoholic refreshments

and heavy hors d’oeuvres.

Bring your coBring your coBring your coBring your co----workers, staff, and/or significant other.workers, staff, and/or significant other.workers, staff, and/or significant other.workers, staff, and/or significant other.

R.S.V.P. by Friday, December 5, 2014R.S.V.P. by Friday, December 5, 2014R.S.V.P. by Friday, December 5, 2014R.S.V.P. by Friday, December 5, 2014

If your business would like to donate a door prize and be highlighted at the event,

please contact the Chamber office 952-442-5812 or ksites@destinationwaconia.org